Why are the leaves of the orange tree rolled up?

Why are the leaves of the orange tree rolled up?

Have you ever seen orange leaves rolled up? Many times when you see something like this, we tend to worry and think that what you need is more water. And actually that can be much worse.

So why are the leaves of the orange tree rolled up? If you want to know the reasons why it can happen, pay attention because next we are going to give you the keys so that you can understand it. Go for it?

Why do orange tree leaves curl up?

person taking an orange from the tree

person taking an orange from the tree

When you have an orange tree at home, perhaps you have ever found yourself, especially in the case of mini orange trees, that they have rolled leaves. It is something very common in these specimens but the causes are even more important.

And it is that, although you may think that it implies that it is lacking in water, the truth is that there are more reasons why the orange leaves roll up. We tell you the main ones:

Lack of water

We are going to treat the first causes of rolled leaves in orange trees. As you may have thought, the lack of water can cause the leaves to curl up, preventing it from doing photosynthesis, and that will harm and weaken the tree.

The solution is not only to water it immediately, but also to schedule watering more often so that this does not happen again. And it is that, if it happens very often, the only thing that you are going to achieve with this is that it weakens and there will come a time when he will stop recovering, and in the end he will die.

So if you used to water it once or twice a week, you may need to increase to three. Of course, keep in mind that watering in winter is not the same as in summer, so the guidelines are going to be different depending on the season.

Excess of water

Believe it or not, excess water is also a reason why an orange tree can have rolled leaves. In this case, it occurs mainly because water accumulates in the soil, preventing oxygen from entering it and rotting the roots. By not being able to carry out photosynthesis (due to an accumulation of carbon dioxide that inhibits this nutrient absorption function), the plant dries up, hence the leaves curl up on themselves, lose color, and seem to the touch like paper.

The solution, If you have watered too much and it is very flooded, it is necessary to change the pot and soil (if you can). If not, you will have to wait for the water to pass (you can try removing part of the soil and adding new one with more drainage so that it can breathe better.

lack of nutrients

orange tree

orange tree

Whether you have the orange tree in a pot or in the ground, over time this soil runs out of nutrients. If you also don’t pay it, the only thing you’re going to get with it is that the tree consumes slowly, because it can’t find the nutrients it needs.

In general, if it is in the ground, the roots go looking for those nutrients. But if it is in a pot it will not have that possibility.

So if you notice the rolled leaves, one of the reasons may be that it needs fertilizer.

Another option is to transplant it. It can be to the same pot or to another. The case is to take away all the land that he has and that no longer nourishes him and provide a new substrate rich in organic matter to ensure that he has what he needs to feed himself and stay strong and healthy.

temperatures

Orange trees are fruit trees that tolerate high and low temperatures well. But not the extremes. If it is too hot, or if there is frost, the tree suffers and one of the ways it expresses that something is not going well is through its leaves. That is, rolling them up.

To solve it, if it is due to high temperatures, you can alleviate it by pouring water over it (as a spray) to lower the temperature around it and raise the humidity a bit.

In the event that it is due to low temperatures, specifically due to frost, the most appropriate way to protect it is by covering it with a mesh. Yes indeed, don’t forget the roots. Stores often sell floor ‘covers’ that help protect the part around the floor and prevent the floor from getting too cold.

Pests that affect the orange tree

Fruit tree

Fruit tree

Of course, both pests and diseases (which we will see below) They can be the cause of the orange leaves being rolled up. When you see those leaves with this problem, take a look in case they have “unwanted guests”, that is, pests.

To do this, do not stay only with the back, but also with the front part, even when they are rolled up (try to open it and look). If you have a magnifying glass, much betterbecause that way you will see for sure if there are pests or not.

Some of the usual ones in orange trees are usually mealybugs, thrips, mites or leaf miners.

And how to fix it? If you have located any of these “bugs” you have to eliminate them as soon as possible so that they do not damage the health of your orange tree. The best thing is that you take potassium soap and clean, one by one, all the leaves that the orange tree has, as well as the branches and the trunk. Yes, it’s hard work, but that way you’ll make sure you get rid of the plague. Even so, it is convenient to do it again after 4 days, to make sure, and even 15 days later.

Diseases

As we told you before, in addition to the pests that can affect it, there are two diseases that have rolled leaves as a symptom:

Having the orange leaves rolled up is not a good thing. It indicates that your fruit tree is indicating that there is something that is not going well. If that is your case, check the tree well to find out what the cause may be and remedy it. In general, you have a high chance of saving it if you catch it in time. Has it ever happened to you? How did you solve it?

Why are the leaves of the orange tree rolled up?

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